we now have a renewed conversation about gun control because of horrific events in newtown, connecticut. i wonder if you think knowing iowa as well as you do, knowing the midwest as well as you do, dealing with rural america all the time, is it an easy sell to say, we need to ban semi-automatic weapons and we need to ban multiple clips capable of shooting 30, 50, 100 bullets in a very short period of time, and we need to make sure at gun shows there's background checks and in private sales there are background checks. will that be -- that's what the administration wants. will that be a tough sell where you come from? >> i don't think the presidencipresidenct sees this as a sale. i think it's a conversation in which the people of united states are all frustrated at the frequency and the severity of these horrific events, and that we should find common ground, some way of reaching that very difficult middle with reasonable policies and strong policies but ones that respect the value systems that we're talking about here. >> do you see this as -- let's use a different word, then. do you th